Create & Cultivate LA 2018 Recap

March 7, 2018

I finally got to attend Create & Cultivate after years and years of it being on my bucket list! I got to attend the Create & Cultivate LA Conference alongside Nancy a few weekends ago and it was an incredible experience! I felt so much inspiration in one space being surrounded by so many talented and empowering women I admire, the energy was infectious!

Happy Hour at Rolling Greens

The conference itself was a jam-packed day of events, but the day before they do set up a Happy Hour! So Nancy and I took the day off so we can drive up a little earlier, get settled into our airbnb, and prep for happy hour and get ready for the following day!

The Happy Hour was at Rolling Greens Nursery – a beautiful and unique space full of greenery and home decor! They had a fun photo booth set up, drinks flowing, and good times all around! That evening, we were able to meet with Alexis Teichmiller, entrepreneur and podcast host of the Laptop Lifestyle, and Alexis is just as awesome in person as she is on the ‘gram! I was so happy to finally connect with her in person after hearing so many great things about her through Shannan!

Day of Create & Cultivate Conference

Pre-Conference Shoot!

Before heading out to the conference, we had to take advantage of the gorgeous rooftop views and city vibes from our bnb! Leslie captured these fun images of us to ensure we walk into the conference with confidence!

The Nitty Gritty!

Ok, let’s get down to the actual conference. The conference was held at City Market Social House, a really f*cking cool warehouse space nestled in DTLA. When I say it was an all day thing – it was a full on production from 8am – 8pm! Nancy and I got VIP tickets so we got to choose the track we were on! We chose Track 2 because it had a panel about podcasts, content creation, and so much more! Everything was coordinated so wonderfully from the two different stages, the pop up shops, down to the bathrooms and even the food areas! There were photo ops galore and the small details did not go unnoticed!

There was even a vendor market area where we got to try different samples of food, interact with different brands, and just do some cool shit with!

The Panels

A big reason why we chose Track 2 was because of the panels – the panels we chose to attend were the Podcast 101 Panel, Body Positive Panel, Never Not Posting Panel, and Keeping it 1 Million! My favorite of the 4 was definitely the Body Positive panel – not only did it have the most diverse speakers on stage, it spoke to my soul SO much about how these women on stage felt unrepresented in the media, and that’s something I can relate to. They’ve overcome what’s held them back and have created a path that has not only made a mark in the industry – but they have completely broken the mold, created a life they love because of what they embraced, and have shared their voice to help echo the issues we have going on with our society! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!

I even got to chat with Mama Cāx for a bit and thank her for her talk, it was seriously so inspiring to hear her story and share her influence!

The Keynote Speakers

We ended the day with the keynote highlighting amazing women who are absolutely doing the damn thing! And here are a few highlights from their talks as well!

We got to hear Lauren Conrad & Hannah Skarvla speak about their brand The Little Market in conversation with Sophia Rossi and chat about the importance of sustainability, supporting female makers around the world, and creating a non-profit that creates opportunity for these women they work with.

They spoke about how important it is to be transparent in a business partnership, how to build a business around a story or cause that have meaning, and if you do anything to do it with love and purpose. I loved how open they were about their business and how they shared this journey wasn’t easy!

My favorite keynote was no other than Chrissy Teigan in conversation with Jen Atkin (founder of Ouai haircare)! She is an incredible role model, mother, and overall bad ass! She was so down to earth, humble, witty and downright hilarious as you would see on her Twitter feed!

She highlighted a lot about embracing what you love to do and putting your energy into that, surrounding yourself with a great support system, and to continue to think bigger as every step in your journey leads you to something better! I really loved how much this hit home for me especially talking about pursuing what we love to do – being in the current flux situation that I’m in, it really inspired me to think of the bigger picture and know what sits well with my soul!

Lastly, there’s no other than Kim Kardashian West herself. Honestly, I feel like this is the closest I’ll ever get to her! She was very straight forward with what she shared, she presented herself in such a professional manner, and it was such an interesting perspective to hear her share about her inspiration behind the multiple businesses she owns!

She emphasized a lot about putting in the work, and to not be lazy and to find a way to make things work, no matter what! I truly admire her tenacity for life and business and most of all her work ethic! She ended the keynote by highlighting the importance of being yourself and staying true to who you are and to truly understand your worth so you aren’t underselling yourself!

The Create & Cultivate Conference honestly felt like a blur! There were so many magical moments that happened that I am grateful for – like connecting with a few people I’ve met online, getting to see the women I admire in media IN PERSON and chat about all things bad ass and women empowerment, and lastly just walking away with a ton of inspiration and motivation!

I highly suggest attending Create & Cultivate – it’s opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on how we all have room to thrive in this industry no matter how “saturated” we think it is. This world is still so new to us and we have the power to create the life we want if we just put in the work, stay true to who we are, and cultivate the community we want to build! Though there were no real actionable steps that could directly help me in my career path, it was a great reminder just being in a crowd of like-minded people who are in this together!